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| Professor Winter waits patiently in line for the group tours of the Capitol interior. |
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| The true beauty of the blooming trees cuts through the gloomiest of days. Did someone say rhetoric? |
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| Some people aren't happy, no matter how many food trucks there are on the street. |
After the Capitol tour, the group headed down the National Mall en route to the Holocaust Memorial Museum and the many, MANY, presidential and war memorials.
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| Group shot before heading into the Holocaust Memorial Museum. |
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| Holocaust Museum exhibit of shoes confiscated from Jews forced into concentration camps. |
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| View of the Jefferson Memorial across the tidal basin. |
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| No caption needed. |
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| Do the clouds match Dr. King's mood? |
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| A haunting look from the Korean War Memorial. |
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| Mementos left at the Vietnam War Memorial Wall. |
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| Standing at the location of Dr. King's famous "I have a dream..." speech. |
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| Quote from the FDR Memorial |
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| Jefferson from a distance. |
What an amazing day to sight see! After our visit to the Capitol, I was able to see the Holocaust museum. Although our day didn't allow for it, one could have spent hours exploring all of the historical pieces and pictures in that museum. I would have to say that as meaningful as that museum was, seeing all of the Mall both in the day and at night was more than breath taking. When I was walking up to the Lincoln Memorial specifically, I felt like I was climbing the stairs into Heaven and that Lincoln was God Himself based on his size. With every place I went I thought back to the time that those first buildings were being erected and how important their very existence is for our country.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree more! I was grateful to run into you guys at the Lincoln Memorial. Hearing Professor Milakovic tell the story about the daughters of the American Revolution and how Eleanor Roosevelt gave resignation because of their view towards an African American jazz singer, Marian Anderson performing for them. To witness such an amazing performance at an amazing location during a crazy time of civil dispute, made the story and experience much better.. and our Professor told us this story on the "I have a dream" marker :)
DeleteI tried to spend as much time as possible in the Holocaust museum. For me, it was such an emotional experience. Towards the end I found a picture drawn by a young girl who had the same birthday as me which was very special. And how great was Lincoln?! I couldn't agree more. He looked like he ascnding into heaven. However all I could picture in my head was that one scene from Hercules!Laurel
DeleteOur first visit was to the Capitol as a group. The weather was beautiful and the cherry blossoms were in full swing. The professors gave us plenty of time to take pictures around the Capitol lawn. Once our wait was over, we entered the building and awaited our time to have a tour of the Capitol. The tour was very fast, though there was so much for us to see. The tour guide mentioned about Washington’s crypt, which I found puzzling because of my previous visit to Mt. Vernon (his actual resting place), and how the crypt would have been purchased with taxpayer dollars. Our next visit was the Holocaust Museum. The tour was purposely close quartered during the exhibit. Many videos were blocked by cinderblocks until you were close enough to look down. Certain videos contained death squads visiting numerous European towns and completing their ghastly orders of execution to all inhabitants. Once I gathered myself and left the museum, a partner and I visited the National Mall. We visited Vietnam Memorial, Lincoln, Korean, WWII and the WWI memorial. At night, I regrouped with other members and visited Vietnam, Lincoln, Korean, MLK Jr., FDR and the Jefferson Memorial. Comparing day and night visits, the Korean Memorial was my favorite. The soldiers on patrol look defined as you see their regiment and representation to the many faces of military. At night, the soldiers are more difficult to tell apart, but resemble ghostly figures as their shadows rest on the wall. The fountain towards the end of the moment and with big lettering, “Freedom is not Free.” Personally, I have heard stories from those who served during the “Forgotten War.” The many itched in faces of real soldiers and the giant, ghostly soldiers on patrol, makes this my most memorable encounter on the National Mall.
ReplyDeleteI bet seeing the crypt was very interesting considering you had seen his resting place at Mt. Vernon. I wonder what your thoughts would be as to which one you think would serve him justice, since you could compare and contrast the two? I thought the same thing about the Holocaust museum; it was purposely set up to be dark and kind of cluttered. When we were on our way up in the elevator, there had to have been at least twenty of us and I couldn't help but think how it would have been in the gas chambers with so many people enclosed in once tiny space.
DeleteIn answer to your question, I believe he did the right thing to be buried at Mt. Vernon. He is buried next to his wife, as every President should be. Visiting Mt Vernon, they tell about the very important and inspirational relationship between Martha and George. After George passed away, Martha's health declined significantly to the point that she died two years after her husband. Interesting fact: Philadelphia and New York served as temporal Capitols of our nation. DC was not chosen till John Adams was President.
DeleteThe Korean War Memorial was very interesting. What made it so different when we visited in my opinion was the faces etched in to the wall rather than words on the wall like so many of the other memorials we saw. That was quite unique. When we left the memorial I really didn't care for the "Freedom is not free" touch. Everyone knows that. I would of preferred it just be a time of remembrance than one of political statements.
Delete-Howie
I completely agree that the statuette soldiers at the Korean War Memorial took on a ghostly and haunting air at night. When combing the statues and the wall with the faces etched into it, the feeling of stepping into the past truly was captured. If given the opportunity, I would have loved to have walked the mall during the day as well, so as to have compared what the monuments and memorials had looked like in the different lighting.
DeleteThe day begins: We stop at the Capitol building first. I thought the Capitol was the most aesthetically pleasing building of all, not too fancy but not too basic. Grand in size and regal in aura. The only downside was the scaffolding on the dome and from one side it looked like a mattress was wrapped around it and blended in to the clouds, so I completely missed the dome my first time walking by. Enter the tour. The tour I thought was insightful, but moved VERY quickly. I would of liked to slow down and mill about but the Capitol is a busy place and im sure the tour guides have a time limit to spend with each group so I could understand the pace. One of my favorite parts was the echo that our tour guide demonstrated. I could hear him so clearly and he did not seem to be straining his voice whatsoever.
ReplyDeleteNext! Holocaust Memorial Museum. I do not want anyone to be confused about my feelings towards the actual content of the museum, because it was purely fantastic. Although what I did not like one bit was the amount of people crammed in there. I understand the design effect, truly, I just didn't care for it. I wanted to be able to read and listen to the pieces in there in peace, which was rarely the case. Given this there were some parts I opted not to fight the crowd and just continue to other parts of the museum.
After this Shaun and I linked up and visited Vietnam, Korean, Lincoln, WWII, and MLK (in passing). Out of these the WWII was my favorite. It just had a composition that was even and pleasing to the eyes. It was just beautiful. The MLK memorial was located in a very random spot in my opinion. Shaun and I were walking and looking at a map and actually passed it, turned around and go "oh, there it is". I felt it would be hard to miss a memorial, but I was proved wrong.
-Howie
I completely agree that the Holocaust museum was over packed and it completely effected my experience. I still was able to make the best of it, but fighting the sometimes rude dense crowd was horribly annoying. Also, I loved the echo in the Nation Statuary Hall, It is amazing what great architecture can accomplish! However, I felt that the tour was extremely rushed and that we did not get to experience the capitol they way we would have had they not been so busy.
DeleteI completely agree that the Holocaust museum was over packed and it completely effected my experience. I still was able to make the best of it, but fighting the sometimes rude dense crowd was horribly annoying. Also, I loved the echo in the Nation Statuary Hall, It is amazing what great architecture can accomplish! However, I felt that the tour was extremely rushed and that we did not get to experience the capitol they way we would have had they not been so busy.
DeleteI agree with you on the tour of the capital. I felt like it was very quick and it was really crowded. It would have been nice to be able to look around the rooms a bit more and get a good look at the statues then being in the rooms for a quick minute and missing out on the architecture of the building. I couldn't agree with you more on the Holocaust and how crowded it was in there. I wanted to see everything but it was hard because it was so hot and crowed in there. I wish they would have let less people in at a time to really be able to see everything.
Delete-Erica
The highlight of my day was visiting the holocaust museum. I still can’t get the image of the pile of shoes out of my mind. Seeing the pile of shoes and seeing the picture of piles of hair made very emotional. I knew the story of the holocaust and I have heard discussions and have seen debates about it. However, visiting the museum left me speechless. I asked myself why such terrible thing happened to those people. What happened to the people who went through holocaust is unimaginable and heartbreaking.
ReplyDeleteMenna Assefa
I totally agree with the raw emotional power of the museum, but I doubt I would list it as the highlight of my day. Nevertheless, the time I spent in the museum truly inspired the feelings of despair, loneliness, and everlasting damage. I was also intrigued by multiple pieces of information that I never knew, such as the voyage of the St. Louis. Alltogether, the Holocaust Museum was an experience that was valuable, but I do not believe I will wish to go back anytime soon.
DeleteAlden Stockam
This was one of the most emotionally powerful days I experienced in DC. It was fascinating to see Capitol Hill, and even better that we got to tour inside. The Holocaust museum broke my heart, as I'm sure it did for most. By the end of my walk through the museum I could not wait to get out. After spending over three hours on the verge of tears I entered the children's section and the final video. I lost it. I could not even finish the video after hearing the story of the mother that took her grandchild from her daughter's arms in order to give her a chance at survival. The pictures, the shoes, the videos, and the train cart all gave me chills that made my stomach clench to the core. To say it was an eye opening experience doesn't do it justice. After all the sorrow and pain I was glad to change my pace and visit the monuments after dark. They were fabulous! I literally felt a sense of nostalgia standing on the spot where Martin Luther King Jr. gave his infamous speech. I could almost picture myself in the crowds on that day. It would have been a sight to see. Jefferson looked so majestic standing tall and proud in his well lit white monument The views after dark were phenomenal, with the monuments acting as beacons of hope against the night sky. My favorite part of the whole day was visiting the Vietnam memorial and rubbing the names of two Marines that I have the privilege to know through Phillip Caputo's "A Rumor of War". I felt like I had to find them after coming to know them so well through Captuo's words. It was emotionally moving to find the heroes that gave the ultimate sacrifice.
ReplyDeleteI agree that one of my very favorite things this trip was getting to see the mall at night. It looks so incredible and so different I almost didn't believe I was in the same location I was hours before. I think My favorite thing I saw at night was the Lincoln Memorial all lit up. Looking up at him was so breathtaking. We also walked around to the backside and looked out at Arlington. When I saw the eternal flame flickering in the distance chills shot up my spine. It was very inspiring.
DeleteThe visit to Holocaust Museum was the highlight of the day for me, I can still vividly pictured the shoes and still hear echo of the sound in the museum, It was frightening and I had the ghost feeling and sadness at the same as I navigate my way through the museum. Looking at the pictures and actually hear people talking about their survival really stroke me hard. I really applause the United State for stepping in to defeat Hitler and stopped this type of brutal killing .I think Germany is a better place today without Hitler. kenneth
DeleteI must agree with you about the Holocaust Museum. It has left such a sad memory in my mind. The imagery was vivid and It is hard to imagine that real people have experienced such inhumane treatment. I will never forget the emotion that I have felt walking thought that museum. As a mother I can't imagine what the mother in the video must have felt. The museum has truly capture the sad reality of people that experienced the Holocaust.
DeleteMenna Assefa
Day 2 was the most moving and emotionally draining day for me. After our busy morning, we all walked to the Holocaust museum. Dr. Milakovic mentioned we needed to pay attention the outside of the structure and what it all meant (because everything was done for a purpose). The experience began when we were told (more like yelled at) to stand in a single file line to go through the security checkpoint. This was the same for most of the other museums but I felt it was most fitting at the Holocaust building. After being crammed into a small elevator, everyone spilled out of the back entrance to a dark, shadowed hall. There was little light to guide us and I didn't know what to expect going around every corner. I was completely overwhelmed by the amount of artifacts, articles, newspapers, and information that was in the exhibit. I felt disgust, shame, anger, and confused just by looking at what was presented. When we got closer to the exhibit's part about the concentration camps, it was hard for me to watch all of the videos because of the explicit content. I thought I was one to have a tough stomach until I watched the video that contained the experimentation done to the prisoners. I specifically remembered an elderly woman walk away with her hand to her mouth and said, "I can't do this anymore." I shortly followed. Of course one cannot completely recreate an experience of a concentration camp, but the museum did mimic it as well it could have. The most moving part of the museum came at the very end. There was a video of survivors from the camps and one woman and man shared their story of the day one of the camps got liberated. Both were recounting when they first saw each other and the last line the woman said revealed that she and the man eventually got married. I remember her saying, "He gave me my freedom." I thought that this story was so beautiful. After everything she had gone through, she still had a small sense of hope that one day she would be free and it came true. -Laurel Lujano
ReplyDeleteI forgot to mention that the outside of the building reminded me of the outside of the walls of concentration camps. There were giant metal pieces connected with rusting bolts. The brick was red and rugged. Everything was etched in the walls that made up the building, like the quotes found at the entrance opposite the main one. -Laurel Lujano
DeleteI definitely agree with you that this second day was the most emotionally (and physically) draining of this trip. I've never seen a person go in to the Holocaust museum and not come out with lasting memories and effects from their experience. I love the architecture in the Holocaust museum, especially the middle courtyard which was still enclosed in the building, but seemed to be its own space....breathing room in a place that is so claustrophobic and limited.
DeleteLaurel,
DeleteI completely agree with you about the yelling before entering the Holocaust building. It made me think of what the victims had to go through with all the yelling and being shoved in a single file line. Give or take we did not have it nearly as bad as them. Also, I loved how you pointed out the dark lighting. I think they did it to make people act more serious and draw their attentions towards everything that was in the museum.
Laurel,
DeleteI agree that the architecture sure did have a great meaning behind it. Besides the artifacts there, the building itself was an artifact. I found it so moving. The people who created this building truly put thought behind it. While we were taking the elevator up there was a very tall man in front of me and he asked if I could see, insisting that I should stand in front of him so I could see the video. It hit me later on during the exhibit that just as those during those days there were many stories of people being nice to one another even on the face of death. It shakes me to the core to think about having such things happen to people.
This day was definitely the champion day of the most tears. The capitol building was where we started our day. The outside is even more massive than pictures could ever represent. I was in awe of the architecture just standing in front of the senate steps. Even with the scaffolding on the dome you can still appreciate just how beautiful and regally elegant the building is. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable about the building and I really enjoyed the original room of the House of Representatives with the whisper trick.
ReplyDeleteThe tears started flowing as we moved to the Holocaust Museum and Memorial. I believe I let a few stroll down my cheek before we even stepped inside the building itself. Shaun and I were in the single file line with our valuables in our hands ready to hand over discussing how eerily disturbing it was they had us enter this way when I looked over and saw a Children of the Holocaust Memorial. What was most disturbing about it was it looked like a jungle gym but I quickly realized how wrong I was. It looked like a crumpled swastika. I immediately felt the chills and tears.
Everything inside the museum made me so unbelievably distraught. To be stripped of your human rights, of all your possessions, of your family, of your religion and have not one soul speak up and say it's wrong is unimaginable. I have no words for the pictures and videos we saw walking through the museum that will forever be in my mind. I have no words to describe the sorrow that fills those walls.
I completely lost all control twice in the museum. At the very beginning walking off the elevator into complete silence with the monochromatic black wall that read "HOLOCAUST," and at the very end with the video of survivors recounting their experiences being liberated. One man's story really had the tears flowing. Happy tears for his freedom of course. He spoke of being on a train and being so tried he couldn't open his eyes. He heard the train doors open and someone was lifting him from his shoulders. The man took off his shoe and was hitting whomever was lifting him yelling "YOU CAN'T KILL ME," and "I'M NOT GOING TO DIE!" When the soldier sat him back down on solid ground he said "I am not here to kill you. I am here to free you."
Our next stops this day were the memorials located at the mall. We saw the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, the Vietnam War Memorial, Korean War Memorial, and the WWII Memorial. As grand as the WWII Memorial is it was definitely my least favorite of all the memorials we saw this day. It's grand, massive, and in my opinion shows nothing other than the fact that we won the war. It does not "memorialize" any of the sacrifices the win cost us except for a mere wall of stars that can be easily overlooked.
The second day was very interesting because there was a lot to see and at the sometime very tiring since we need to walk miles to the other sites. The visit at the state capital was very interesting despite the long waiting time to get the tickets. I missed the film about the history of the capital but the tour guide was great to explain the history behind the monuments. Since it was my first time to the capital, I took many pictures of the monuments to show my kids especially George Washington .Also visiting the Holocaust museum was a great experience for me because I can actually relate the pictures and the short films to what I studied about Holocaust. Watching Hitler talked about starving the Jews in the German language was really sad for me to watched , since I actually worked down south of German near one of the concentration camps in Dachau went I was a student. Also looking at the shoes was one of the saddest moments for me because it portrays reality that one can actually relate to0. After the Holocaust museum I stopped at the WWII memorial, Korean war Memorial, Vietnam Memorial and finally the Lincoln Memorial. The Lincoln Memorial was very different and outstanding with the amount of stairs in front. There were many visitors taking pictures outside the memorial and other were just relaxing and enjoying the atmosphere. I was so surprised to see that there was not a lot to see inside the memorial apart of a giant statue of President Lincoln. Kenneth ndikum
ReplyDeleteWhat stood out to me most on this day was the visit to the monuments at night. The monuments truly seemed to take on an entirely different life and energy when night fell. White marble popped with the bright lighting, gloomy messages melted away into the cold night time air. The monument that stood out to me most in this time was the Korean War Monument. I had entered into this trip having been told that I simply had to see this monument at night, and so I was pumped to finally see it. However, when I first saw the monument, I was dissapointed. However, that was before I noticed the wall of shadows. In the nightime, this wall truly gave the impression of shades and ghosts looking at the viewer through the curtain of time. This, blending with the statues of the concerned and frightened men, gave off a truly unforgettable and chilling experience.
ReplyDeleteAlden Stockam
I was a part of the group that got separated at the metro when heading to the Capitol. This actually ended up being a very good thing, however, as we got about twenty minutes of free time to walk around the lawn and see the outside of the Supreme Court building and the Library of Congress. One of my favorite parts about the Capitol tour was seeing the Rotunda (although it was a shame the building was under construction) and the empty crypt built for Washington. I was not prepared for the Holocaust museum. The emotional impact it had on me was gut-wrenching. The amount of information within the museum was nearly impossible to take in, and after just the first floor I felt worn. The pictures, videos, poems, works of art, quotes, and information blocks all combined into an oppressive mass. We stayed in the exhibit for over three hours, and could have stayed longer. When I got to the children's section I walked straight through because I knew I couldn't read anything that had to do with the kids. The video at the end took the last bit of resolve I had. After hearing one woman's story we left, unable to take anything else in. After resting for a while, a group of us went to walk the mall. The memorials and monuments were phenomenal at night. Standing on the spot where Martin Luther King gave his "I Have Dream" speech and looking out over the expanse where so many people stood to hear him speak was an breathtaking and inspirational experience. Lincoln and Jefferson were both majestic in their frozen forms, and truly appeared to bear down on anyone coming to witness them. The only regret I have over visiting the mall at night was that it was hard to take pictures. Still, I don't think I would have chosen to go during the day if I had only been able to choose again, because of how beautiful the monuments and memorials were with the lights and the hallowed aspect the darkness gave them.
ReplyDeleteThe second day we went to the capital and to the Holocaust museum as a group.The capital was really interesting to see. I just wish that they weren't reconstructing the dome. I wanted to see what the dome looked like on the inside of the building and with all the windows but we were not able to do that and it was kind of disappointing. The Holocaust museum was really interesting. It took me about two and a half hours to complete just the exhibit tour.I was not able to see the other parts of the museum as time did not allow for that and I wanted to see other things as well too. I visited the WWII memorial and that was very underwhelming for me. Although it was pretty, there were a lot of lives lost and it was a big war that I feel like it should have had a different design and message than what was there. I went to the Vietnam memorial and it was crazy to see how many names were on the wall. I visited the Korean memorial as well and I feel that it was just kind of thrown in there. It was very small. It was like that war wasn't very important. MLK Jr. was beautiful with all the cherry blossoms surrounding it. I was able to see where the quote was taken out of the monument which was very noticeable. This was the day where we had to figure out the subway by ourselves which was a little scary because I didn't want to go to the wrong place. My group and I figured it out and made it back to the hotel the first time.
ReplyDelete-Erica
I have a love/hate relationship with the Holocaust museum. Part of me would like to hide this atrocity away, never to be spoken of again because it pains me to think about it. The more logical part of me realizes that this museum serves a couple of very important purposes. First, it forces new generations into sharing some of the experience of the Holocaust: how and why we got where we did, what happened, and how we fixed it. It also serves as a place of remembrance and a testimony to the people this world lost.
ReplyDeleteWe needed a change of pace after the museum, so we rented bikes and rode (or in my case, coasted) down to the Lincoln memorial, stopping by the WWII memorial on our way. Lincoln is my favorite memorial on the mall, and I am always struck by his majesty. We sat on the steps at Lincoln overlooking the Potomac to one side and the Washington monument to the other side. It was breathtaking.
We had a late dinner at a delicious sushi house in Dupont Circle, then salsa danced late into the night....or early into the next morning. It was a blast! DC has such a vibrant night life, and I was glad that we got a chance to experience some of it.
I have a love/hate relationship with the Holocaust museum. Part of me would like to hide this atrocity away, never to be spoken of again because it pains me to think about it. The more logical part of me realizes that this museum serves a couple of very important purposes. First, it forces new generations into sharing some of the experience of the Holocaust: how and why we got where we did, what happened, and how we fixed it. It also serves as a place of remembrance and a testimony to the people this world lost.
ReplyDeleteWe needed a change of pace after the museum, so we rented bikes and rode (or in my case, coasted) down to the Lincoln memorial, stopping by the WWII memorial on our way. Lincoln is my favorite memorial on the mall, and I am always struck by his majesty. We sat on the steps at Lincoln overlooking the Potomac to one side and the Washington monument to the other side. It was breathtaking.
We had a late dinner at a delicious sushi house in Dupont Circle, then salsa danced late into the night....or early into the next morning. It was a blast! DC has such a vibrant night life, and I was glad that we got a chance to experience some of it.
It was fun to teach Sara how to ride a bike. She didn't master the skill of riding a bike, but she got really close. My favorite building is also an Lincoln memorial. The statue is really aesthetically beautiful. To make suck big and beautiful statue is really impressive. The back side of Lincoln memorial was breath taking. Just to see there and look at the Potomac river was really beautiful.
DeleteI love the night life at DC. I wished that days had more than 24 hours. Because there is so many things to see and experience.
Tomislav Lubenjak
I liked how she did seem to leave out those details! We all wanted to be able to ride to lincoln but it didn't quite workout as planned. We all make it though! and Sarah did end up "riding" the bike there. Dinner was pretty good although I think we could have adventured and found something different. However, it was a first experience for Tom and Kenneth so all and all it was worth it. Jennifer Tousley
DeleteThe Holocaust museum was really emotional. I loved how we got the little book with the story of one person. As the visitor we can connect on a personal level to the museum, because we know the story of of one human being that was tortured in the concentration camp. I wanted to know where my character was, what he went trough and if he will survive in the end. There was a loot of facts, details, pictures, clothes. It was overwhelming for me. I loved the short films. Film that I liked the most was in the last parts of the museum. In that film we could have seen civilians and soldiers that were at concentration camps. It was really emotional to listen to their story.
ReplyDeleteI loved the Washington monument and Lincoln memorial. I felt so small and irrelevant. I saw them so many times on the movies as a kid, learn and talk about them in the class, and finally now i was there. I loved every second that I was there. Great experience.
Tomislav Lubenjak
Day two was possibly my favorite day (though I could probably say that about all four days). Taking a tour of the Capitol Building finally put the trip into reality. We are actually here. After the almost two hour wait, we got into the theatre for the tour. Our guide, who had only been giving tours at the Capitol for about 4 months was an expert at all things across the building, teaching us so much about the building. After the detailed tour we got to check out the National Mall and head to the Holocaust Museum, probably the most anticipated place for me. I was really excited to see the artifacts. While going through I was moved by the exhibit and was completely stopped by the part with the children. How could someone do this to people across the world? This is something I later felt in the trip, for example at the 9/11 memorial and the 9/11 exhibits.
ReplyDeleteThere is still hope across the capitol though. We went through so many of the memorials on the National Mall and seeing all of the young faces looking at the memorials and being introduced to the things that caused these memorials to be set up, giving young eyes and minds an understanding of history. There is still hope through all of this, it's why the Capitol needs to have these memorials and museums.
The second day was the most emotional day for me because of the things I saw in the Holocaust Museum. I already knew quiet a bit of information about the Holocaust and the emotions that came with it, but after leaving the museum, it definitely built on those emotions and knowledge. I think that sadness, anger, and confusion where the strongest emotions I experienced while walking through the museum. I say sadness because seeing pictures of starving little boys and girls just made my heart shatter. Then I immediately felt anger go through out my body because why was this tragedy not stopped sooner? Why did America take so long to come in and stop the genocide? Then confusion hit me because I cannot understand how hundreds of people could torture and kill innocent people. I may understand a couple of people because there are people out there like that, but hundreds of people? It just blows my mind. I was still very glad I was able to see the Holocaust and I believe that everyone should go and see it sometime during their lifetime.
ReplyDeleteWars are ugly and what happened to these people are worse. Honestly speaking the image and videos they are showing us in this museum are not very intense. The facts are even worse. However the design is great which still evoked people's emotions without hurting their heart as human being too much.
DeleteThe United States Capital building was a young but very well designed building. I feel that every part of the building has a reason to be the way it is. Even they building itself is only two hundred something years old but it carries much more than other buildings around it. The creators and the people of this country poured a lot of hope and expectation into the building. No doubt that I would be proud of it if I were an American.
ReplyDeleteThe Holocaust Museum is very impressive. I am not a fun of the modern day jewish state Israel. I don’t like the way they rob others’ land and use terror to manipulate their neighbors. However what happened to this race around the World War two period should definitely never happen again in human history. it is the deepest blaspheme of the entire human race. It should be a warning sign for all of us that what people can and will to do to other humans. I don’t think the big countries like the U.S., Russia, China or the E.U. actually learned enough lessons from out past.
In the afternoon, I also visited three other war memorials. These memorials makes me even more convinced that the lesson is not learned. Wars are spreading much more faster now than in history. Evil things like the islamic state are conquering more and more land but human are still not united. Other than sorrow, I took away much more feelings from these memorials but it is not easy for me to express them.
--- 敖彦达 Yanda Ao
Day 2 started slow at the Capitol. I thought that for the amount of time we waited, for the length of the tour, was a lot. But regardless it was a good experience. Next we went to the Holocaust Museum. I would agree with most in the blog that this was my favorite part of the day, however about half way through, I needed out. I was torn by everything. From the dominating building on the outside that made you feel like you were going into a compound to the ID card you get once you get into the elevators. There were just the right amount of people in the museum and oh my were there a lot! It was crowded but I felt that that helped with the experience and how the designers wanted you to feel when walking through. Most everyone read, The initial hallway was narrow only allow for your feet to shuffle as you moved along. There was no going anywhere fast. But you didn't need to. I felt sick, after hearing the stories from the survivors, after seeing the shoes, after seeing the hair. I wanted to be sick. The reflection areas provided much needed relief from a very overwhelming topic.
ReplyDeleteThe rest of the day was our own. Lincoln was even more amazing than I thought it would be. We got some fun shots and Tom showed us the back of the memorial looking out at the Potomac and watching the sunset. It was beautiful.Jennifer Tousley